PHL animation group showcases talent in global content market for entertainment in France
Business Mirror
October 26, 2016
CANNES, France—Philippine animation studios, led by the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (Acpi), showcased the content capabilities of the Philippines at the International Market of Communications Program (Mipcom) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France, from October 17 to 20.
Mipcom is a major convergence of influential industry players in the global market for entertainment content across major entertainment platforms. This event featured areas of opportunities in drama, film, factual, nonscripted format, kids and teens, music, sports, games and publishing, among others.
“Mipcom is the biggest event for sourcing and distribution in the world entertainment industry. The major players are here and the presence of the Philippines in this important event is essential. We expect to generate new business engagements for animation, as representatives from the entertainment industry source for content here.” ACPI President Juan Miguel del Rosario said.
The Philippine delegation was composed of companies who are leaders in creative design and animation capabilities across major categories, such as Web and mobile games and applications, interactive and immersive visual technology, animation, production of audio-visual presentations, and commercials for television, cinemas and the Internet.
“Given the capabilities of the participating companies, such as ASI Animation Studios, RenderBee, Synergy88, TeamApp, Toon City, Toon City Academy, Top Peg Animation and 88storey Films, we are confident this participation will open doors of opportunities for the content industry in the country as we aggressively move to prioritize new markets and new services to expand our exports” said Senen M. Perlada, director of the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“Additionally, Philippine participation comes at a time when Southeast Asia, including countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, all now have presence at the annual Mipcom,” he said.
Philippine participation in Mipcom 2016 was made possible by the active collaboration between ACPI, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the DTI through the EMB and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Paris (PTIC- Paris) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa Lazaro, who visited the Philippine pavilion at Mipcom, said, “France has the largest animation industry in Europe and the third largest in the world, so there is a lot of potential for our animation industry to set up partnerships and increase awareness of the creative Filipino talent in France.”
The animation industry in the Philippines started in the 1980s, making it one of the stronger Asian players in the global animation industry today. From only a handful of animation studios then, there are now over 100 animation studios all over the country with a total annual revenue of $153 million and over 11,000 full-time employees.
Aside from participating in Mipcom, Del Rosario concluded meetings with the French Association of Animated Film (Afca) and the Network of French Animation Schools (Reca) in Paris, leveraging on the opportunities to work together in promotional activities and establishing the initial talks for the cooperation in terms of skills training for Filipino animators.
Del Rosario also invited the French organizations to join Animahenasyon, the country’s animated film festival, and to establish possible partnerships in higher education and training.
Mipcom is an annual event held every October in Cannes, France, and is known in the television and entertainment industry as a premier marketplace to buy and sell new programs and formats for the global market. Major players in Mipcom include Disney, Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox and HBO. The 2015 performance included almost 14,000 participants, over 2,000 exhibiting companies and 4,700 buyers spread over 24,000 square meters of exhibition space at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes.□